Auto engineers in pole position with first business premises

Fledgling specialist auto engineering firm B14 Minis has secured its first premises in Redditch.

Mechanic Chris Benham has built a strong reputation with Mini enthusiasts across the region for his work maintaining and upgrading their cars.

He and partner Katie Gammon had run the business from home and by sharing a mechanic friend’s premises and renting space on his ramp.

However, a surge in work since the Covid-19 lockdown accelerated plans to find their own premises.

B14 Minis has taken a long-term lease on a unit at 22 Colemeadow Road, on the North Moons Moat industrial estate.

Benham said: “I’ve loved the Minis since BMW relaunched them, when I was working for a BMW dealership.

“I drive one myself and a lot of my customers are enthusiasts; their Minis are second cars for the weekends or track days. Over the last year we have seen demand for maintenance and servicing work overtaken by people wanting upgrades to their suspension, braking systems, engine tuning and so on.

“It became clear we needed to have our own workshop to cater for the demand, which has just kept growing.”

Ben Truslove, joint managing director at property agent John Truslove, said: “We have a great relationship with Chris and Katie at B14 Minis and they were very clear about the kind of premises they needed. We take particular pride in our unrivalled knowledge of the local property market so we knew at once when this workshop became available and that it would suit Chris down the ground.

“It means our landlord client, Mileway Real Estates, had a new tenant very quickly and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with B14 Minis into the future.”